The current toilet block will be demolished, and when the replacement opens, users will have to pay 40p to spend a penny with a contactless payment card or phone.

Plans for the proposed new Budleigh seafront loos. Image: EDDC/Kendall Kingscott.

Refurbished in 2011, the current building is believed to date from the 1930s and features one disabled toilet and four unisex loos opening onto the coast path, as well as an external shower for beachgoers.

The new block will have fibre-cement timber-look cladding, painted metal doors in beach-hut colours and a flat roof with solar panels. It will have one disabled loo and four unisex toilets as before, but also a ‘Changing Places’ facility for people with severe disabilities, two outside showers, a bike rack, a water bottle refill point, and seating.

How the toilet block looks now. Image: EDDC.

When asked whether it could withstand pebbles dashing it during storms, Councillors were assured it would be “robust”

But Cllr Brian Bailey (Conservative, Exmouth Littleham) was not happy with the design, describing the new block as “hideous”. He said: “It’s completely out of keeping with buildings on the seafront.

“If you put a flat roof with solar panels on, some little darlings of Budleigh will be… having great fun leaping off the cliff onto the roof. It’ll be their latest sport. I think it’s absolutely unacceptable.”

By contrast, Cllr Anne Hall (Lib Dem, Exmouth Littleham) argued the flat roof was in keeping with nearby flat-roofed apartments.

An artist’s impression of the new Budleigh seafront loos, near the Lime Kiln car park. Image: EDDC/Kendall Kingscott.

The new Budleigh loos come as part of a wider East Devon District Council (EDDC) scheme to refurbish or rebuild 15 ‘category A’ public conveniences across the district at an estimated cost of £5 million.

Another 12 category B and C loos EDDC cannot afford to run have been offered for commercial operators to change them into cafes, takeaways or community hubs – although the public must still be able to go to the loo there – and also to town and parish councils to run in place of EDDC.

East Devon’s public toilets are ranked as follows:

Category A

West Street car park, Axminster

Cliff Path (West End/Steamer), Budleigh Salterton

East End (Lime Kiln), Budleigh Salterton

Jubilee Gardens, Beer

Foxholes car park, Exmouth

Magnolia Centre (London Inn), Exmouth

Manor Gardens, Exmouth

Phear Park, Exmouth

Queens Drive, Exmouth

Lace Walk, Honiton

West Walk, Seaton

Connaught Gardens, Sidmouth

Triangle, Sidmouth

Market Place, Sidmouth

Ham car park (new site), Sidmouth

Categories B and C

Orcombe Point, Exmouth

The Maer, Exmouth

Imperial Road, Exmouth

Jarvis Close, Exmouth

Seaton Hole, Seaton

Harbour Road, Seaton

Marsh Road, Seaton

Brook Road, Budleigh Salterton

Station Road, Budleigh Salterton

Dolphin Street, Colyton

King Street, Honiton

Port Royal, Sidmouth

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9 Apr 2024

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A brief history of Tory MP Simon Jupp’s recent Photo Ops in Richard Ford’s constituency

A brief history of the wanderings of our local “MP for Everywhere & Nowhere”

Nicholas Pegg

Even before the news broke about the bogus web links using @RichardFoordLD’s name to direct traffic to @simonjamesjupp’s campaign website, Mr Jupp’s enthusiasm for muscling in on Mr Foord’s territory was a matter of public record. Largely thanks to Mr Jupp’s own social media.

At the neglect of his real constituents in places such as Exmouth? – Owl

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Nicholas Pegg post his letter to Jupp on social media “X”

Nicholas Pegg

I have written today to my MP, @simonjamesjupp, regarding the unfolding story of the bogus web links which dishonestly used the name of Lib Dem MP @RichardFoordLD to direct voters to Mr Jupp’s campaign website.

To Simon Jupp, MP

House of Commons

London SW1A OAA

Monday, 8th April, 2024

Dear Mr Jupp,

In common with a great many people across the country, I have been following with interest the developing story regarding three web domains which were found to be appropriating the name of Tiverton & Honiton MP Richard Foord, your rival in the forthcoming general election, to mislead web users and direct them instead to your own campaign website.

Even before this story broke on Friday, your keen interest in Mr Foord’s constituency was well documented. It is a matter of public record that Mr Foord’s constituents have been targeted with ‘newsletter’ style campaign leaflets which misleadingly describe you as ‘local MP Simon Jupp’. Since the beginning of this year (and, I might add, notwithstanding your reproachful words in your last letter to me that prioritise urgent casework over letters drafted for attention on social media’), you have found time amid your urgent casework to use your own social media to publicise your visits and your support for local services and businesses in Cullompton, Colyton, Higher Wiscombe, Axmouth, Luppitt, Upottery, Honiton, Seaton, Beer, Branscombe, Broadhembury, Dalwood and Axminster. None of these towns and villages fall within your own constituency of East Devon. They are all in Mr Foord’s constituency. Needless to say, they will soon fall within the new constituency of Honiton & Sidmouth, which you and Mr Foord will both be contesting at the general election.

I understand that none of these shabby strategies – the misleading leaflets, the deceptive URLs, the time-consuming charm offensive in a neighbouring MP’s constituency while you chide your own constituents about ‘urgent casework’ – are in breach of electoral law, although goodness knows why not. But illegal or no, they amount to a pretty bad look for an MP who once wrote those uplifting words: ‘I am not afraid to stand up for what is right.’ In the case of the leaflets and the web domains, I’m sure you will agree that they’re more than just a bad look: they are underhand, deceitful, and quite staggeringly stupid.

In a brief statement yesterday to the BBC, you said that you were ‘not responsible for the web domains in Mr Foord’s name.’ That may certainly be considered a relief, but it falls far short of being an explanation. In fact, it raises more questions than it answers. Mr Jupp, if you are not responsible for the web domains, then who is? Who set up the misleading links? Who has now deleted them?

If these tactics were adopted on your behalf by members of your campaign team, but without your knowledge or approval, then you owe it to yourself and to your constituents to give a full and immediate explanation of exactly what has occurred, and who is responsible, and what disciplinary measures have been taken.

If, on the other hand, the actions were taken with your knowledge, then you know as well as I do that you owe considerably more than an explanation: not only to your own constituents, but also to Mr Foord’s constituents, and to the country.

We all look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Nicholas Pegg

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Paul Arnott demands full, frank and immediate explanation as Simon Jupp web domains in Richard Foord’s name disconnected

Paul Arnott: “As leader of East Devon District Council for the last four years, I have made it a priority at all times to make sure the council and all local politicians operate at the highest level of truthfulness and transparency.”

“At this stage it is not certain what has happened here, but I do think the absolute onus is on Simon Jupp to give a full, frank and immediate explanation of what has happened.”

Bradley Gerrard www.sidmouthherald.co.uk

Three web domains in the name of a Liberal Democrat MP that redirected people to a Conservative rival’s website now appear to have been disconnected.

Pressure began growing on Simon Jupp (Conservative, East Devon) last week to explain why the web addresses – richardfoord.co.uk, richardfoord.com and richardfoord.uk – sent users to Mr Jupp’s website.

Mr Foord (Liberal Democrat, Tiverton and Honiton) will contest the new Honiton and Sidmouth seat against Mr Jupp at the forthcoming general election.

Now, just days after news of the web domains emerged in a national newspaper, they do not connect to Mr Jupp’s website.

A Google search for them still lists them as results, but the links are no longer active.

Mr Jupp said he was “not responsible for the web domains”, and the Electoral Commission said it is not an issue they will be looking into.

But Paul Arnott (Liberal Democrat, Coly Valley), the leader of East Devon District Council, an area currently represented by Mr Jupp, said it was up to the Conservative MP to explain what he thinks occurred.

“As leader of East Devon District Council for the last four years, I have made it a priority at all times to make sure the council and all local politicians operate at the highest level of truthfulness and transparency,” he said.

“At this stage it is not certain what has happened here, but I do think the absolute onus is on Simon Jupp to give a full, frank and immediate explanation of what has happened.”

A spokesperson for Mr Foord said: “When we talk to people across Mid and East Devon, they tell us they want their representatives to play it straight and be honest.

“Links that look genuine but simply redirect to Conservative websites only serve to arouse suspicion and undermine trust.

“People deserve better from their MP, and at the election they have a chance to demand better by voting Liberal Democrat.”

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Campaigning chicanery: Simon Jupp goes lower. Letter from Axminster

To editor of West Country Voices

Dear Editor,

‘Disgusted’ doesn’t come close. Although even now I am still sometimes surprised by how badly these Tories behave, I am genuinely shocked at what Simon Jupp is up to.

Jupp, the Conservative elected as East Devon’s MP in 2019, is attempting to deceive voters by purloining – for his own purposes – the name of his strongest rival, the Lib Dem Richard Foord, in the run-up to the general election.

Some readers may recall that in the recent past, the Tories have produced election flyers with green print – not their usual trademark blue – and have been a little ‘shy’ to own up that they are campaigning for the Conservatives.

Now Simon Jupp is going one better – or rather, much lower.

Richard Foord is currently MP for the Tiverton and Honiton constituency; in 2022’s by-election he overturned the 24,000-odd majority of the previous incumbent, Neil Parish, the Conservative MP who resigned after being caught watching porn on his phone in the House of Commons. (No sniggering at the back!)

Jupp and Foord will almost certainly be going head-to-head for the new seat which will result from boundary changes and will be known as Honiton and Sidmouth; because of the boundary changes it’s expected to be a tight race and Jupp presumably feels that anything goes.

So if you google ‘richardfoord.co.uk’, ‘richardfoord.uk’ or ‘richardfoord.com’, you are directed not to a webpage from Richard Foord, but to Jupp’s own website. Readers might not credit the sheer brazenness of it and I’d suggest they try it – but I don’t want Jupp’s page to get the hits.

inews reported Jupp’s piece of trickery on 5 April 2024 and also detailed other instances where the Tories – who couldn’t lie straight in bed – have played dirty. In the leaflet for her campaign to be re-elected in May, Devon’s current Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez somehow fails to mention that she is a Conservative. I can understand why she might not wish to be too closely identified with the national party Tories at present, but surely this omission is just deceitful?

Unfortunately, the stratagems employed by Jupp and his ilk are not illegal. Sly, yes. Dishonourable, yes. Insolent, undoubtedly. But not outwith the law.

I feel particularly strongly about this because I live in the constituency and Richard Foord is my MP. For the first time in my adult life, I am lucky enough to have an MP who I feel broadly represents my values and who will try to mitigate some of the damage caused by Conservative policies. Moreover, in another refreshing change, I see my MP constantly working for his constituents: Foord is always visible, always busy. I want him to remain as my MP after the election. I don’t want a Tory MP again and I especially don’t want Jupp.

I want an MP with integrity. Is that too much to ask?

Constituent,

Axminster

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Britain’s staycation boom may be over as bookings dry up

Is the British staycation boom over? Short-term holiday rentals experienced a surge in recent years, especially during the pandemic, when Britons stayed at home in the UK, leading to a spike in rates.

Suzanne Bearne www.theguardian.com

However, holiday-let owners across the UK are reporting a significant fall in bookings so far this year as the sector feels the effects of the cost of living crisis, poor weather and an increasingly saturated market.

Helen Angove, 58, managing director of Woodland Collection Holidays in Townshend, Cornwall, about 10 miles from tourist hotspot St Ives, said demand in January and February fell by about 80% across her four three-bedroom holiday lets on the same period last year. “This year we had hardly any bookings at all in January or February. March and April bookings are down 20%.”

She attributes much of the sluggish demand to the poor weather. “So many [people] are fed up with the wet weather. They are going abroad to get some sunshine. The second big factor is the massive oversupply of holiday lets. A lot of people thought they could make easy money because of what happened during Covid.”

Data supplied from AirDNA, which tracks listings on holiday rental sites Airbnb and Vrbo, found 342,000 short-term lets available in the UK in the 12 months to February 2024, up 19% on the previous year. New listings for homes in the UK jumped 22% year on year in 2023, while new apartment listings increased by 16%.

Yvonne Turnbull, 58, who lives in Horsham, West Sussex, has been letting out a three-bedroom apartment in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, for between £150 and £175 a night, including through Airbnb, for the past six years.

She said demand was significantly down on previous years, with no bookings for January, February or March, including half-term, and fewer bookings over Easter. Turnbull said Scarborough was now oversupplied with holiday lets. “When we started there were about 200 Airbnbs in the town. Now you’re looking at 1,000.”

Nor is the problem limited to seaside destinations. Veeve, which offers short-term rentals, has seen a 21% drop in booking values across its London portfolio of more than 500 properties from January to 19 March since the same period last year.

The lack of bookings is another hit to the holiday-let industry after the government announced increased regulation and the end of tax relief from April 2025 in last month’s budget. New controls on holiday lets in England will be introduced this summer, including a mandatory national registration scheme and councils being given greater powers if they want to use them to control short-term lets by making them subject to the planning process.

Martin Dunford, founder of accommodation site Cool Places, said inquiries for UK self-catering accommodation were slightly down on last year but higher than before the pandemic. “We are finding that people are more careful. They have less money, tend to book later, watch the weather and try to get more for their money.”

Miriam Vanags, 60, and her husband have run a one-bedroom holiday cottage on their 18-acre smallholding in St Clears, Wales, for the past 17 years. She said people were demanding a lot more for their money. “They expect more of a hotel experience. Now we see a huge number of requests for hot tubs and wood burners, which seem to be deal breakers. Trends change.”

She added: “We have considered long-term letting and that is something we may revisit. Selling up may become a necessity, depending on whether things pick up.”

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MP’s misleading website links ‘arouse suspicion’ and further comments on “Domain Jupp”

Mr Jupp told the BBC he was “not responsible for the web domains”.

Not exactly a condemnation and did we ever think Simon Jupp was tech savvy enough to set the links up all by himself?

It looks like the links have now mysteriously disappeared though they were active yesterday – Owl

By Miles Davis www.bbc.co.uk

Questions are being asked of a Conservative MP over people being redirected to his website.

Simon Jupp, East Devon Conservative MP, will stand in the new constituency of Honiton and Sidmouth.

Two MPs in Devon, Conservative Simon Jupp and Richard Foord, Liberal Democrat, will go head to head in the general election in a new constituency.

It emerged anyone typing in RichardFoord.uk, RichardFoord.co.uk or RichardFoord.com would be redirected to Mr Jupp’s site.

Mr Jupp told the BBC he was “not responsible for the web domains”.

Richard Foord is currently MP for Tiverton and Honiton

Mr Foord, MP for Honiton and Tiverton, said: “When we talk to people across Mid and East Devon, they tell us they want their representatives to play it straight and be honest.

“Links that look genuine but simply redirect to Conservative websites only serve to arouse suspicion and undermine trust.

“People deserve better from their MP, and at the election they have a chance to demand better by voting Liberal Democrat.”

Mr Jupp is currently the MP for East Devon but will be the Conservative candidate standing against Mr Foord in a new constituency of Honiton and Sidmouth introduced due to boundary changes.

He told the BBC he was “not responsible for the web domains in Mr Foord’s name” which link to his own website.

The Electoral Commission said it would not be looking into what had happened.

A spokesperson said: “There is nothing in electoral law concerning the use of website domain names by candidates.

“The content of campaign material does not fall within our regulatory remit so it wouldn’t be for us to investigate.”

Social Media

James O’Brien

He’ll be 2019 intake. You don’t even need to check. The people who watched the lying & cheating of Brexit & Boris Johnson & decided that was the life for them. God only knows what sort of flotsam will get on to the candidates list this time round.

Marina Purkiss

Dear @simonjamesjupp, How is it that the URLs for Lib Dem candidate http://richardfoord.uk, http://richardfoord.co.uk and http://richardfoord.com all link directly to your website? Not a good look Are you, your staff or anyone you know responsible for this? Helpful to know

So that’s another half million “views” to imprint the current Tory desperation! – Owl

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7 Apr 2024

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Devon should ban second-home ownership

Devon will need to go further in tackling its housing challenges to make sure communities thrive, possibly even adopting radical policies to ban second homes.

That’s according to the chair of the Devon Housing Task Force, Cllr Mandy Ewings.

Alison Stephenson, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

She leads a cross-party group of councillors across Devon’s 11 local authorities on the task force, set up in 2022 in response to the county’s housing crisis. Cllr Ewigns said problems are vast, not least with 11,000 second homes in the county, the rising number of empty homes and not enough affordable homes being built.

She hopes a new report by the Devon Housing Commission, due to be published in July, will trigger improvements.

The commission, set up by the task force, is made up of experts, parliamentarians, councillors and academics from the University of Exeter. It has been tasked with making a strong case to present to the government on how to approach the many housing issues, including homelessness.

The commission is lobbying the government for measures to control the growth of short-term lettings because it is claimed they lead to a shortage of homes for local people.

The commission believes switching from long-term to short-term lets is a key reason for the fall of 50 per cent in private lettings across the county, and by as much as 67 per cent in North Devon alone between 2019 and 2021.

The short-term lettings phenomenon is also affecting would-be homeowners, where landlords purchasing properties for short-term letting are pricing out local first-time buyers, it said.

Cllr Ewings (Ind, Tavistock South West), leader of West Devon Borough Council, said the county needs to get tougher on second-home ownership.

Along with many other local authorities in the county, West Devon is doubling council tax on second homes from April next year,

It wants the additional money raised ring-fenced to address housing challenges in the area, including building more homes that are affordable for local residents.

The move is expected to lead to some second homeowners selling properties, renting them out, or making them their main residence.

Cllr Ewings said she believed if people could afford to buy second homes, hitting their pocket with a 100 per cent increase in council tax was not likely to have much effect.

“I just don’t think people should come here with their Citybank bonuses and spend it on a property,” she said.

“We are communities, we need to be able to live as communities and at the moment it is so so difficult for families to be able to find a home. They want their lives to be in the same spot rather than packing their bags every six months to move somewhere else.

“One in five properties in Salcombe is a second home. Even in West Devon, one in 12 properties is a second home. It is affecting us all in one way or another.”

Salcombe had the most expensive seaside homes in the UK last year with the average cost of a property being £1.2 million.

“Developers say they will build in Salcombe, the £1 million houses that is, and tell us they will give us the money to deliver affordable homes elsewhere. They don’t want to build them in Salcombe.

“That is not morally right, it’s creating an artificial community, an artificial place… It has as all the yachts bobbing in the sea, but there are no local people on the ground to keep that town alive.”

Cllr Ewings continued: “I would like to hope we can go further to protect our communities. We could always join the St Ives policy, where no newbuilds can be second homes and the homes can only be bought or rented by people who have a very strong connection with the town.”

She added that £8 million for homes if the government approves devolution for Devon and Torbay could potentially attract more money from Homes England to be used “where it is needed the most”. The Devon Housing Task Force would “have a voice” in how this money was distributed.

Other ideas includ landowners being encouraged to “do deals” with councils to give over parts of their fields for affordable homes on the basis that they could build some open market housing.

More community lands trusts, which are democratic, non-profit organisations that own and develop land for the community, would be encouraged, and planning policies looked into to see how best they could allow more local needs homes in the countryside, she added.

Cllr Ewings said councils should stand strong against developers who often ask for the number of affordable homes to be reduced because of viability issues. She added: “We understand that developers need to make profits but they don’t need to make such vast profits on occasions. If it is not viable, don’t do it, that’s my personal view.”

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6 Apr 2024

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Three comments on Simon Jupp’s “ Domain Name Dirty & Cheap Trick”

See yesterday’s post for details.

A spokesperson for Mr Foord said: “When we talk to people across Mid and East Devon, they tell us they want their representatives to play it straight and be honest.

“Links that look genuine but simply redirect to Conservative websites only serve to arouse suspicion and undermine trust.

“People deserve better from their MP, and at the election they have a chance to demand better by voting Liberal Democrat.”

Carol Vorderman on “X” under heading: DIRTY ELECTION TACTICS?

Dear @simonjamesjupp

The URLs of http://richardfoord.uk, http://richardfoord.co.uk and http://richardfoord.com all link directly to your website (I have screen recorded all links incase someone attempts to delete). Have you been aware of this? And are you, your staff or anyone you know responsible for this?

Yours

Carol V (who you seem to have inadvertently blocked even though I’d never heard of you before now)

And Simon Jupp himself who according to the Exmouth Journal “has not yet commented on this.”

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Local Green candidate follows Labour lead – campaign for the party in Bristol, not here

Martin Shaw writes:

A de facto cross-party coalition is building up around Richard Foord, our Liberal Democrat MP, to be re-elected for the new Honiton & Sidmouth constituency, which includes Seaton. Last month the Labour candidate, Jake Bonetta, urged local members to go to Plymouth to campaign in the General Election, rather than campaigning here (although Labour will still be fighting for council seats and the police/crime commissioner).

Now Henry Gent, the Green candidate, has said on Twitter that Honiton/Sidmouth members should go to Bristol to help win the Greens a second MP. Labour, Greens, and Independents like me – we all agree it’s essential to keep the Tories and Simon Jupp out, and get Richard Foord back in. It’s the best way for us to be involved in the big change that the election will bring.

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Lest we forget – a correspondent on “times past” under the “Old Guard” in EDDC

Council has Exmouth’s back – Tim reminisces on “times past” under the “Old Guard” in EDDC

Paul Arnott’s comment on Town Council meetings reminds me of the fights we had with the old EDDC over transparency. At one time the EDDC meetings about The Splash/Sideshore, or as I prefer to call it, Cohen’s Folly, was restricted to a small group of people who held their meetings in private and initially didn’t produce or publish proper minutes. It took quite a bit of argument to change that, to get minutes made and published, and more general transparency. I recall the EDDC officer running the matter publishing draft minutes by accident once, and when challenged, they produced a final record with some interesting differences.

It is worth comparing an EDDC that records and publishes many of it’s meetings on YouTube, making access easier to all who may want it, to the old EDDC. I remember when Williams, Diviani, Moulding and others were running the show and government allowed any council who so wanted, to allow citizen reporting and filming of public meetings. The old EDDC wouldn’t have any of it, we had to wait until government obliged councils to allow such recording, and even then EDDC tried to curtail it by asking for notice (a condition that was not a requirement by gov).

Yes, Exmouth seems to be split on everying you care to ask its citizens about. Some do a bit of digging, others show no interest until someone raises it on Facebook and then asks about why didn’t they know about it. And of course there is a hard core who say you will never change anything in Exmouth- I think they may still be unaware that things have changed considerably, not least in matters of transparency and what group runs the council.

Knowing Paul pretty well, and bearing his comments about Romans and watching our back, I am quite certain I shall never need to say to him “Et Tu Brute?”

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5 Apr 2024

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Simon Jupp MP accused of using his Lib Dem rival’s name to campaign

Sign of desperation in the local Tory party – Owl

A Conservative MP in Devon has been accused of deceiving voters by using internet addresses in a Lib Dem opponent’s name that direct web users to his own campaign website.

David Parsley inews.co.uk

Three web domains that purport to link to websites connected to the Liberal Democrat candidate for the new seat of Honiton and Sidmouth do, in fact, direct people to the campaign website of Tory MP Simon Jupp, i has found.

Mr Jupp, the current MP for East Devon, and Richard Foord, the Lib Dem MP for Tiverton and Honiton, have both seen their constituencies abolished under boundary changes and they are fighting what is expected to be a tight race in the new seat.

When i visited the richardfoord.uk, richardfoord.co.uk and richardfoord.com web addresses, they all linked directly to Mr Jupp’s website.

It is not known who bought the internet addresses as ownership records currently point to a web domain-buying site based in Worcestershire.

A spokesman for Mr Foord said: “When we talk to people across Mid and East Devon, they tell us they want their representatives to play it straight and be honest.

“Links that look genuine but simply redirect to Conservative websites only serve to arouse suspicion and undermine trust.

“People deserve better from their MP, and at the election they have a chance to demand better by voting Liberal Democrat.”

Simon Jupp (right), the current Conservative MP for East Devon, and Richard Foord (left), the Lib Dem MP for Tiverton and Honiton, have both seen their constituencies abolished under boundary changes and they are fighting what is expected to be a tight race in the new seat of Honiton and Sidmouth

Mr Foord, who overturned a huge Tory majority in Tiverton and Honiton following the resignation of Tory MP Neil Parish after he was found to have watched pornography in the House of Commons, has the official website address of richardfoord.org.uk.

According to political forecasting website Electoral Calculus Mr Jupp has a 54 per cent chance of winning the Honiton and Sidmouth seat, while Mr Foord is nine points behind on 45 per cent.

Web domains are inexpensive to buy and easy to direct to any website as long as no one has already bought the name.

For example, domain names ending in .uk can cost as little at £10 a year, with the first year coming in at less than £1. A co.uk domain will cost around the same amount and a .com address tends to be a little more expensive at around £18 a year.

Once the web domain name is owned it is a simple process to redirect it to any other website already in existence.

If someone wants to buy a domain that is already tkaen, they can steps to find the owner and negotiate a price.

The redirection of websites in an opponent’s name appear to be a new front in the campaign publicity wars that have long been a part of UK elections.

With the 2 May local elections approaching and a general election expected later this year, campaign leaflets from all parties have begun appearing though voters’ letterboxes.

In recent elections the unpopularity of Conservative candidates in some areas of the country has led to its candidates withholding which party they represent from their campaign material.

All the major parties, including Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party, have accused each other of disguising their leaflets at recent elections.

At last year’s local elections the Lib Dems called for an inquiry into Conservative flyers that claimed voters did not require ID to cast their ballot despite rules coming in for the first time demanding acceptable forms of identity at polling stations.

And in the South West of England the incumbent Tory police commissioner has issued flyers that do not state that she is the Conservative Candidate.

Alison Hernandez, the Police and Crime Commission for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, sent out flyers earlier this week boasting of the improvements that had been made under her leadership, but failed to mention she will be the Conservative candidate when she stands again next month.

A spokesman for the Electoral Commission suggested the directing of the domain names to Mr Jupp’s website did not break any election law.

He said: “There is nothing in electoral law concerning the use of website domain names by candidates.

“The content of campaign material does not fall within our regulatory remit so it wouldn’t be for us to investigate.”

Mr Jupp and the Conservative Party were contacted for comment.

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Lord Clinton Gerard Nevile Mark Fane has died aged 89

Born Gerard Nevile Mark Fane on October 7 1934, he became the 22nd Baron Clinton in 1965, taking on responsibility for 25,000 acres across three estates in North and East Devon, collectively known as Clinton Devon Estates. He died on April 2.

Adam Manning www.sidmouthherald.co.uk

He leaves his wife, Nicola, always known as Nicky, and three children, the Hon Charles Patrick Rolle Fane Trefusis, who will succeed him, and daughters Caroline and Henrietta.

Lord Clinton made his home for many years at Heanton Satchville at Huish, near Merton, in the Torridge district, before moving with his wife to East Devon around five years ago.

The eldest child and only son of Capt. Charles Nevile Fane and Gladys Mable Lowther, Lord Clinton was born at 23 Belgrave Square, London – now the German Embassy – and educated at Cothill Preparatory School and Gordonstoun in Moray, Scotland.

Much of his childhood was spent with his great grandfather, Charles Trefusis, 21st Baron Clinton having lost his father, Charles, who was killed in action in Flanders, shortly before the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940 when Gerard was five.

After National Service with the Royal Scots between 1953 and 1955 he trained as a land agent, inheriting his title as the 22nd Baron Clinton from his great grandfather, who died in 1957. The title was in abeyance for eight years and Lord Clinton took up his seat in the House of Lords in 1965.

During his lifetime Lord Clinton secured the long-term sustainability of the 700-year-old Estates – the largest in family ownership in Devon – turning a traditional landed estate into a leading land management enterprise fit for the 21st century.

Clinton Devon Estates won numerous awards under his stewardship, including being judged four times winner of the Sunday Times Best Small Companies to Work for, three times winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category for Sustainable Development and a recipient of the 2012 Food and Farming Industry Awards.

In his later years Lord Clinton oversaw one of the biggest conservation projects in the UK, the Lower Otter Restoration Project.

The ten-year project, completed a few months ago, was regularly visited by Lord Clinton during construction.

Clinton Devon Estates comprises farmland and forestry in East and North Devon including woodlands of national importance and the 2,800-acre Pebblebed Heaths and Otter Estuary in East Devon – now designated a National Nature Reserve, part of the newly named Kings’ Series of nature reserves.

There are around 300 residential properties, the majority let to tenants, as well as commercial buildings and the Bicton Arena, at East Budleigh, a leading equestrian venue in East Devon.

Projects undertaken during Lord Clinton’s lifetime include a major residential development, Plumb Park, at Exmouth, which saw the creation of more than 250 homes on Estate land and the building of an innovative Estate Office set in Grade 1 listed parkland at Bicton.

Lord Clinton held high office in a wide range of local, regional and national organisations and was a member or supporter of many others. He was active in the House of Lords between 1965 and 1999 and served as a Justice of the Peace for twenty years until 1983 and as a Deputy Lieutenant of Devon from 1977. He sat on the Council of the Duchy of Cornwall from 1968 to 1979.

Lord Clinton took a close interest in the tenanted and in-hand farming enterprises on the Estate, particularly the Devon Red Cattle. His herd was culled during the foot and mouth crisis of 2001, which he later admitted caused him enormous distress.

He was also a passionate forester, spending many hours inspecting the Estates woodlands, which he saw as both an environmental asset and, when the time came, a crop of sustainable timber to be harvested. In 2019 he unveiled a plaque to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Forestry Commission – in the same North Devon wood where his great grandfather had planted the newly created Commission’s first trees.

In his personal time Lord Clinton enjoyed fishing and had an abiding passion for horse racing and sailing. He was also a member of The Royal Yacht Squadron, one of the most exclusive yacht clubs in the world, and the Turf Club.

In an afterword to the official history of the barony, he wrote: “The historical background to the Clinton title is embedded in holding land. As a trustee for life of the Clinton Estate, it has been of fundamental importance to me to manage and build on all that I inherited from my great grandfather so that I, in turn, might pass on a thriving estate to the next generation.”

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

5 Apr 2024

Posted under

Misc

Bills and sewage spills could rise under Government plan for water regulator to be “mindful of business interests”

Whose side are the Tories really on? Simon Jupp, please explain. – Owl

Sewage pollution and water bills could increase following Government plans to “diminish” the powers of the water regulator, charities and MPs have warned.

Alexa Phillips inews.co.uk

Ofwat will need to be mindful of business interests when imposing penalties on water companies and exposing compliance breaches under Government guidance expected to take effect this month.

The Liberal Democrats are leading a revolt against the plans, which it says are being “essentially rushed through the Commons without proper scrutiny”, i can reveal.

The party has secured a debate and vote on the issue in the House of Lords on 15 April, led by Baroness Bakewell, which could pressure the Government to row back its decision to apply a “growth duty” to Ofwat, Ofgem and Ofcom.

The duty means the water, energy and media regulators will need to “give appropriate consideration to the potential impact of their activities and their decisions on economic growth, for the wider UK economy, alongside or as part of their consideration of their other statutory duties”.

“Certain enforcement actions, and other activities of the regulator, can be particularly damaging to growth,” the guidance says. “These include, for example, enforcement actions that limit or prevent a business from operating; financial sanctions; and publicity, in relation to a compliance failure, that harms public confidence.”

The Government said the plans will not weaken Ofwat – the body responsible for handing out penalties to water companies if they do not fully monitor their storm overflows – but environmental groups including the Wildlife and Countryside Link, which represents 83 organisations, told i the move could allow polluting water firms to avoid scrutiny or even hike water bills.

The Environment Agency revealed that raw sewage was poured into England’s rivers, lakes and coastal areas for 3.6 million hours last year, making 2023 the worst year on record for sewage spills.

The Government is implementing the change through a type of secondary legislation called a “statutory instrument”, which is rarely voted down (the last instance was in 1978) and is not subject to the same process as primary legislation.

The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments considered it and decided against referring it to the Commons chamber – it will instead be scrutinised by a Delegated Legislation Committee which does not have the power to stop it. Peers could still defeat the secondary legislation.

Tim Farron, a Lib Dem MP and the party’s environment spokesperson, said Ofwat “must be exempt from these changes”.

“Water firms are getting away with environmental vandalism on a daily basis whilst paying themselves massive bonuses and profits,” he said. “It would be a farce if water firms escape punishment via the back door.”

Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party and MP for Brighton Pavilion, accused the Tories of putting deregulation and economic growth “before everything else” – a “dangerous” mentality that has been “detrimental to our national quality of life”.

“Even when our waterways are literally full of shit, rather than giving Ofwat new powers to protect our environment and hold water companies accountable, the Government is instead imposing a legal duty on the regulator to consider economic growth which may make it even harder to take companies to task,” she said.

Louise Reddy, policy officer at charity Surfers Against Sewage, said the growth duty would “diminish” Ofwat’s ability to regulate water companies and warned that the sewage scandal could get worse.

“We got into this mess because of poor regulation,” she said. “The regulation of the water industry has been abysmal.

“It’s been really promising to hear from the Government that we want to see better regulation of the water industry, but to then hear of the growth duty, which would actively dissuade Ofwat to regulate the water industry, feels very counterintuitive.”

Stuart Singleton-White, head of campaigns at the Angling Trust, warned that water companies could use the growth duty to argue for increases in water bills.

“Regulators are not there to promote economic growth, they’re there to regulate sectors and industries to make sure that they are behaving within the law,” he said.

“The concern we would have is if they’ve suddenly got to put economic growth considerations into decisions about issues like enforcement or price rises for investment programmes and things like that, that’s potentially going to temper the amount of enforcement they do, or give them fear or concern that if they carry out an enforcement, the polluter or the water company will use economic growth impacts as a defence and an argument.

“That will restrict the regulator from being able to do their job, and it flies in the face of everything that needs to be done in terms of sorting this industry out.”

Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said pollution has reached record levels and the public is “demanding action”, but the growth duty “could make it harder to make polluters pay and strengthen regulation of the water industry”.

He added: “If the Government is serious about cleaning up rivers and restoring nature, its first priority wouldn’t be a growth duty that could let water companies off the hook.”

Ali Morse, water policy manager at The Wildlife Trusts, expressed “concerns” that Ofwat would be “less able to take action against companies over their pollution record”.

She said the Lib Dems’ “motion of regret” – which cannot block legislation but registers peers’ disapproval – could persuade the Government to withdraw the piece of legislation or convince them to redraft the accompanying guidance, for instance to emphasise the economic benefits of a sustainable environment.

The Liberal Democrats also hope the motion will encourage peers to vote down the secondary legislation.

The Wildlife Trusts and the Wildlife and Countryside Link believe the Government should impose a “green duty” instead of a growth duty that would force regulators and the companies they oversee to contribute to the Government’s legally binding environmental targets.

Mark Lloyd, chief executive of The Rivers Trust, warned that the Growth Duty could make sanctions harder to impose and leave Ofwat “more exposed” to legal challenges when it takes action.

An Ofwat spokesperson said the Government’s response to the consultation on extending the growth duty to Ofwat “is clear that non-compliant activity or behaviour that undermines protections to the environment needs to be appropriately dealt with by regulators”.

“We will continue our work as a regulator to hold water companies to account and drive better performance and outcomes for customers and the environment,” they added.

A Government spokesperson said: “The Growth Duty does not legitimise non-compliance with existing protections, including Ofwat’s environmental responsibilities.

“This extension will allow Ofwat to more effectively help deliver economic growth alongside its regular duties and does not in any way set restrictions on regulators as to how their enforcement can and should operate.”

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

4 Apr 2024

Posted under

Misc

Rockfish plans to take over seaside café

The owner of Devon restaurant chain Rockfish has revealed plans for yet another seaside venue, while two other sites remain in limbo. The latest plans are to transform a family-run beachfront café into another branch of the seafood restaurant.

Mary Stenson www.devonlive.com

Mitch Tonks, CEO of Rockfish, submitted plans to revamp the Longboat Café on Budleigh Salterton seafront to East Devon District Council (EDDC) last month. The proposals are for an extension to the existing building, which will be an external dining space with a retractable roof and windows.

The application also says that there are hopes of replacing the shelter next door which has been subject to a planning wrangle between EDDC and the Longboat Café. On its Facebook page, the owners of the Longboat Café say it was built during the pandemic to help the business survive during social-distancing measures, as part of then-temporary measures which allowed moveable structures to be erected next to cafes, pubs and restaurants without planning permission. In 2021, the government made these measures permanent.

The owners of the business say they considered the structure to be moveable as it had been built on wheels but EDDC considered it permanent as it had been secured to the ground to prevent it from being blown out to sea. There is currently an enforcement notice from EDDC in place on the shelter for “unauthorised work”.

In the planning application by Rockfish, it says: “This application seeks to gain planning consent for this thoughtful design proposal which aims to offer a delightful and flexible seafront experience, blending effortlessly with the existing buildings.

“This planning application presents an opportunity to replace the current shelter (which has an enforcement notice) with a much more sensible and appropriate solution.”

Rockfish has eight restaurants across Devon and Dorset, all of which are in coastal or riverside locations. On its website, the chain has three new venues which are set to “open soon” in Salcombe, Sidmouth and Topsham.

Last month, it was confirmed that the Salcombe branch was gearing up to open in time for the summer season, with refurbishment having already started on the premises on Island Street. Meanwhile, opening dates are yet to be announced for the other two sites.

Rockfish purchased the former L’Estuaire Bistro and Bar site on Topsham Quay in June 2022 and has been displaying signs in the doors for many months. With no work appearing to have taken place since, Rockfish said in January that the project had only just entered the design and planning stages.

Plans to transform Drill Hall on Sidmouth seafront into a Rockfish restaurant were recommended for approval in November 2023 but the project was set back by concerns over flood risks. EDDC said it had withdrawn the application but, along with Rockfish, remained committed to redeveloping the site.

The full application for the Longboat Café can be viewed on EDDC’s website here.

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

4 Apr 2024

Posted under

Misc

Poor weather leads to pothole spike on Devon’s roads

Harsh weather conditions mean it’s taken just 10 months for more potholes to be recorded across Devon’s roads than the whole of the last financial year.

Nothing to do with Tory austerity? – Owl

Bradley Gerrard, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

A total of 40,250 potholes were recorded across the county council area between April last year and the end of January this year. For the 12 months to March 2023, there were 39,813 such hazards.

And February’s data showed another 4,010, pushing the current financial year’s total higher still with figures for March still yet to be confirmed.

Devon County Council, which is responsible for the county’s roughly 8,000 miles of roads, said the “early and harsh freeze/thaw cycles” experienced during the 2022/23 winter continued to cause problems into the summer.

“In addition to the winter weather, there has been an unprecedented number of storm events experienced so far this autumn and winter,” said Meg Booth, director of climate change, environment and transport.

She claims the council is speeding up ‘reactive patching’ and, together with managing their contractors’ workloads, that means it “is managing to contain the overall number of pothole defects across the network awaiting repair.”

The work had been helped by £1.5 million of funding from central government. Ms Booth says the council hopes to use a new system it has trialled for repairing potholes more widely.

“In the summer/autumn of 2023, the service conducted a comprehensive trial of a road surface repair system called Elastomac, which was demonstrated to councillors in May last year,” Ms Booth said.

“The system uses a flowable mastic asphalt which incorporates up to 70-80 per cent recycled materials and can be installed much more quickly than traditional patching techniques and with less disruption to the travelling public.

“This new solution will be added to the wider toolkit again from the spring through to autumn this year.”

The so-called Dragon Patchers, which are repair trucks with a blowtorch-type attachment stretching from the bumper, have been out on more than 500 shifts so far this financial year.

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

4 Apr 2024

Posted under

Misc

Councils demand independent review of ‘arbitrary’ levelling up schemes

Councils have called for an independent review of Boris Johnson’s levelling up policy, as local authorities count the cost of years of hype, disappointment, bureaucratic delay and “begging bowl” culture.

Patrick Butler www.theguardian.com

Levelling up was launched by Johnson after the Conservatives won the 2019 general election, as he promised to boost left-behind parts of the UK by committing billions to regenerate town centres, upgrade local transport and invest in cultural assets.

Four years and several funding rounds later, many local politicians are angry and frustrated over their experiences with a complex, demanding, seemingly random bidding system for numerous pots of levelling up funds that have ultimately so far led to little change.

Even more baffling to many is the evolution of a policy that seemingly sought initially to prioritise deprived post-industrial cities of the north and Midlands in the name of reducing regional inequality, but now embraces such relatively affluent places as Cambridge, Buckinghamshire and Canary Wharf in London’s docklands.

“One of our bids was for a housing site in the most deprived part of County Durham – top 10 most deprived areas in the country. How can that not be eligible for levelling up but a historic castle renovation in Kent can? What’s levelling up about that?” said Amanda Hopgood, the Liberal Democrat leader of Durham county council.

Confusingly, three of the top 20 most deprived council areas in England – Middlesbrough, Hastings and Rochdale – were awarded no cash over three rounds of the actual levelling up fund, although they did get cash from different pots under the wider collection of levelling up funds, including the towns fund and the shared prosperity fund (there are now an estimated 36 pots in total.)

The funds have different eligibility, application and reporting requirements, with each bid typically costing councils between £30,000 and £60,000, according to parliament’s spending watchdog. Some councils say they have heeded official feedback on failed bids and invested heavily in the next bid, only to be knocked back again “having done everything they asked”.

Gedling borough council in Nottinghamshire learned in November it had yet again failed with a levelling up fund bid (three neighbouring councils had by that stage been awarded tens of millions between them). It furiously accused the government of “moving the goalposts and leaving councils like us with absolutely nothing, time and time again”.

This month, after years of trying, it finally succeeded – getting £20m from the long-term plan for towns fund. “The begging bowl culture created by this government when it comes to allocating funding to local towns, means this funding has come years later than it should have done,” said Michael Payne, the deputy leader of Gedling borough council.

Hopgood called for an independent review of the government’s “dreadful” handling of a bids process that led to councils wasting scarce resources of time and money. County Durham estimates it spent £1.2m on five bids that were unsuccessful after the government changed the rules on eligibility after they had been submitted.

“The frustration is – you spend your time bidding. You haven’t actually got the money to do the bidding or the resources. The successful bids seem arbitrary. You can’t be certain the outcome related to the quality of the bid. You start to believe its been tweaked politically,” said Graham Chapman, a Nottingham City Labour councillor and vice-chair of the Special Interest Group Of Municipal Authorities.

One council chief executive in the south of England lamented the stop-start short-termism of levelling up, made worse by huge council budget cuts. He pointed to the success of a municipal arts centre planned and built locally under an old-style regeneration scheme before austerity took hold. “We would never build that today because there isn’t the resource, the certainty or the capacity to do it.”

Chapman criticises levelling up’s lack of ambition and focus on physical infrastructure at the expense of tackling skills shortages: “It was the only game in town, but it was naive, totally superficial and underfunded. You don’t turn anything around with a few bob over a few years. You can’t just tart up the town centre and think you are levelling up,” he said.

The government insists it is regenerating town centres, creating new infrastructure and helping to level up communities. This months’s public accounts committee report is less optimistic, highlighting huge project delays – just 10% of funds allocated have been spent. The Labour party has compared levelling up to the “burnt out shell” of an abandoned car.

Prof Graeme Atherton of the Centre for Inequality and Levelling Up said despite widespread criticisms, a case can be made for the policy having worked on its own narrow terms, achieving a Johnsonian “cake and eat it” trick of reaching some target places while managing to keep other places relatively happy. “Whether levelling up is successful or appropriate is another set of questions,” he added.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “We reject these claims and are proud of our record of funding historically overlooked areas. We have committed over £15bn of levelling up funds to regenerate town centres, create new infrastructure and improve everyday life for people.”

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

3 Apr 2024

Posted under

Misc

Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 18 March

Discharge of condition for 21/0010/FUL: Condition 5 (Flood Warning and Evacuation Plan) Lexhayne Mill Farm Shute Devon EX13 7PPRef. No: 24/0657/DOC | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
T1, Willow: pollard to approximately 8m above ground level; maximum diameter cuts of 20cm; western limb over building; reduce to 3m off main stem. 1 Beaumonts Cottages Gittisham Honiton EX14 3AGRef. No: 24/0652/TRE | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Discharge of Condition for 23/1030/FUL & 23/1031/LBC: Condition 3 (Materials) & Condition 4 (Methodology) 106 High Street Honiton Devon EX14 1JWRef. No: 24/0645/DOC | Validated: Thu 21 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Certificate of lawful development for proposed new re-positioned gate, and reinstatement of the original driveway consisting of hardcore and gravel laid on a permeable membrane.The Old Post Office Poltimore EX4 0AHRef. No: 24/0616/CPL | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Extension to existing timber framed cafe building Millers Farm Shop Gammons Hill Kilmington Devon EX13 7RARef. No: 24/0618/FUL | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
The erection of a shed to cover an existing silage pit Netherexe Barton Netherexe Exeter EX5 4DZRef. No: 24/0623/AGR | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
T1 – Beech: crown lift to 4m above ground level on road side and 3m above ground level over garden, maximum diameter of cuts, (MDC) 25mm. Reduce north eastern aspect overhanging neighbouring property by 2-3m, MDC, 1 @ 50mm, rest at 25mm or less. T2 – Beech: crown lift to comply with the Highways Act 1980, especially over junction of Beeches Close, MDC 25mm. Remove major hazardous deadwood. T3 – Laburnum: dismantle in stages to near ground level. The Beeches 1 Beeches Close Woodbury Devon EX5 1JNRef. No: 24/0624/TCA | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
T1 Ash; sectional fell to ground level. T1 is showing early stages of Ash Die-back with die back in the crown. T1 has not been able to mature as has been overshadowed and out-competed by the adjacent larger trees, it also has been compromised at the base with a cavity developing. T2 Ash; sectional fell to ground level. T2 is showing onset stage of Ash Die-back, with die-back in the crown and stress related growth. 6 Old Home Farm Rousdon Devon DT7 3YLRef. No: 24/0615/TCA | Validated: Mon 18 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
T1, T2, T3, T4; sectional fell and remove existing Leylandii hedge. Replant the hedge line with appropriate species. 2 Home Farm Cottages Rousdon Lyme Regis DT7 3XTRef. No: 24/0614/TCA | Validated: Mon 18 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Discharge of Condition for 22/2275/FUL: Condition 3 (Foundation Design Details) Hillhead St Mary Broadway Sidmouth EX10 8RQRef. No: 24/0596/DOC | Validated: Mon 18 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Single storey flat roofed side extension with rendering and over cladding to the existing property. Replacement of windows and doors. 24 Colleton Way Exmouth EX8 3PXRef. No: 24/0608/FUL | Validated: Mon 18 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Removal of existing rear tenement flat roof covering and substrate – replacement flat roof covering reflecting existing. 20 The Beacon Exmouth Devon EX8 2AFRef. No: 24/0606/FUL | Validated: Mon 18 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Removal of existing rear tenement flat roof covering and substrate – replacement flat roof covering reflecting existing. 20 The Beacon Exmouth Devon EX8 2AFRef. No: 24/0607/LBC | Validated: Mon 18 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
T1 Sycamore; sectional fell. T1 is showing significant signs of die back in the crown (indication of root plate has movement). T2 Beech; sectionally fell to ground level. 5 Old Home Farm Rousdon Lyme Regis DT7 3YLRef. No: 24/0612/TCA | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Certificate of lawful development of a roof space conversion and rear dormer window within permitted development5 Rewe Barton Farm Cottages Rewe EX5 4EURef. No: 24/0599/CPL | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Demolition of conservatory, stores and garage, replaced with adjoining rear extension. Changes in fenestration and internal layout alterations. Alterations to a front boundary wall with gate and parking, erection of bike store, and relocation of oil tank Pyms Poltimore EX4 0AARef. No: 24/0592/FUL | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Demolition of conservatory, stores and garage, replaced with adjoining rear extension. Changes in fenestration and internal layout alterations. Alterations to a front boundary wall with gate and parking, erection of bike store, and relocation of oil tank Pyms Poltimore EX4 0AARef. No: 24/0593/LBC | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
G1, Holm Oaks: overhanging Broadway, crown reduce by 2-3m and reduce side branches by 2m to clear overhead telecom cables whilst maintaining shape. G2, Laurel: crown lift to 5.2m above ghround level and prune back to reduce lateral branches over road. Balfour Manor Station Road Sidmouth EX10 8XWRef. No: 24/0577/TRE | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
0358, Holm Oak (the tree is tagged on site): reduce eastern stem by 3 to 4m and remaining 2 stems by 2m leaving tree at approximately 19m, with an overall canopy spread of 8.5m. Maximum diameter cuts 75-100mm. Balfour Manor Station Road Sidmouth EX10 8XWRef. No: 24/0576/TRE | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Proposed solar panels on converted barn slate roof (east ) and Beach Cottage annexe slate roof (west) Southlands Farm Dunkeswell Honiton EX14 4SHRef. No: 24/0563/LBC | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Proposed solar panels on converted barn slate roof (east ) and Beach Cottage annexe slate roof (west) Southlands Farm Dunkeswell Honiton EX14 4SHRef. No: 24/0562/FUL | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Variation of Conditions 2 and 4 pursuant to planning permission 23/1508/FUL (Change of use of bank (Class E) to hot food takeaway (sui generis) and installation of extraction and ventilation equipment with associated external works); proposal to revise the extract duct route, and confirm the Plant Noise Assessment report meets requirements 86 High Street Honiton Devon EX14 1JNRef. No: 24/0543/VAR | Validated: Thu 21 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Installation of 3 air conditioning units, (partially retrospective). 29 Greenway Lane Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 6SGRef. No: 24/0544/FUL | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Proposed rear single storey extension to South-West elevation and proposed porch to North-West elevation. 32 Willow Avenue Exmouth Devon EX8 4QSRef. No: 24/0536/FUL | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Proposed single storey extensions on both front and rear elevations 51 Canterbury Way Exmouth Devon EX8 5QQRef. No: 24/0533/FUL | Validated: Thu 21 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
T5, Sycamore: repollard to approximately 1.5m above ground level. T8, Sycamore: reduce height of tree by approximately 1.5m-2m via thinning making cuts no greater than approximately 75mm.. T9, Ash: reduce height by approximately 2.5m-3m via thinning making cuts no greater than approximately 75mm. T10, Ash: reduce height of trees by approximately 2.5m-3m via thinning making cuts no greater than approximately 75mm.. 17 Glebelands Uplyme DT7 3TBRef. No: 24/0522/TRE | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Rear & Front extensions, proposed first floor addition and general re-modelling of facades. (Revisions to the existing approval 21/1826/FUL) Bay View Highcliffe Close Seaton EX12 2QARef. No: 24/0521/FUL | Validated: Thu 21 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Change of use from agricultural use to domestic garden use Marwood House Offwell EX14 9RWRef. No: 24/0516/COU | Validated: Wed 20 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Construction of earth lined slurry lagoon with security perimeter fence Glanville Farm Offwell Honiton EX14 9STRef. No: 24/0506/FUL | Validated: Wed 20 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Commercial Mechanical Extraction Unit – retrospective 1 The Burrow Seaton EX12 2LWRef. No: 24/0511/FUL | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Proposal to demolish part of hall and replace with single storey extension on south elevation. Construction of new carport and shed The Lodge Sheldon Honiton EX14 4QURef. No: 24/0499/FUL | Validated: Wed 20 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Replacement of failed HVAC equipment with more sustainable alternative new equipment, Internal repairs/alterations 2 Parade Exmouth Devon EX8 1RJRef. No: 24/0502/LBC | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Replacement of failed HVAC equipment with more sustainable alternative new equipment, Internal repairs/alterations 2 Parade Exmouth EX8 1RJRef. No: 24/0501/FUL | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Upgrade meter cupboard at first floor (C1) and second floor (C2) with new frame, board and door to achieve Fd30 rating and replace front doors to Flats 3 & 4 (D1 & D3) and second floor landing store cupboard (D2) with Fd30 rating. Beacon Court 4 Louisa Terrace Exmouth Devon EX8 2AQRef. No: 24/0460/LBC | Validated: Thu 21 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Two storey extension to existing bungalow, and provision of single storey summer house 9 Pollybrook Town Lane Woodbury Devon EX5 1NFRef. No: 24/0418/FUL | Validated: Mon 18 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Proposed extensions and alterations to existing dwelling, including demolition of building currently used to store vehicles, and demolition of outbuilding and replacement with three bay garage/car port Moor Farm Talaton Exeter EX5 2RFRef. No: 24/0414/FUL | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) of 21/2925/FUL to allow alterations to siting and appearance of dwelling, and installation of solar panels Woodland Lodge Bystock Exmouth EX8 5EDRef. No: 24/0395/VAR | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Remove existing blown lime render on front north elevation and replace like for like-for-like lime render. 2 Church Green High Street Newton Poppleford EX10 0DXRef. No: 24/0361/LBC | Validated: Wed 20 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Construction of loft conversion. 11 Kennaway Road Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1TFRef. No: 24/0357/FUL | Validated: Mon 18 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Planning approval for changing the colour of wood cladding to Sadolin Superdec Anthracite Dark Grey, and to render the bottom of property and paint White Sandtex with very bottom black to match the properties in the village. Globelands The Arch Woodbury Exeter EX5 1LLRef. No: 24/0345/FUL | Validated: Wed 20 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Alterations to exterior of workshop and internal layout. Chris Baily Engineering Putts Corner Sidbury Sidmouth EX10 0QQRef. No: 24/0343/FUL | Validated: Mon 18 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Replace 1no. rooflight with Fakro rooflight on rear north west elevation 2 School Cottages Woodbury Salterton EX5 1PGRef. No: 24/0320/LBC | Validated: Wed 20 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Change of use of paddock to dog day care business (Sui Generis), erection of decking/ canvas clad structure, stock fencing and gates, formation of access track and use of existing car parking.Fen Equestrian Centre And Glamping Ltd Venn Ottery Ottery St Mary EX11 1SGRef. No: 24/0316/FUL | Validated: Wed 20 Mar 2024 | Status: Withdrawn
Change of use of Maurice Barn and land within its curtilage from occupational physicians surgery to a residential dwelling (with ancillary use as physician’s surgery); no external changes proposed. Maurice Barn Blackhorse Lane Blackhorse EX5 2ARRef. No: 24/0248/FUL | Validated: Thu 21 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Exterior: Introduce a French drain to the front and sides of the building. Infill brick gateway to front garden wall. Repair thatch roof and introduce 4no. rooflights on thatched rear elevation. Replace 4no. timber windows at ground floor on North Elevation (rear) with double glazed timber windows and 1no. on west elevation. Rebuild 1no. chimney stack and install new chimney pot on west elevation and install new chimney pot on east elevation. Re-roof rear lean-to with galvanised steel roof sheeting and install 2no. rooflights on north elevation. Interior: Form new opening with door from living room to playroom snug. Remove modern plasterboard in corridor and replace with T&G panelling. Remove cement tanking and dry lining to wall in dining room replace with lime render. Remove internal wall in utility and introduce new timber partition. Form new doorway from the store to the living room and enlarge existing window opening in living room. First Floor: Introduce new T&G panelling as partitioning to reconfigure first floor layout including a bathroom and ensuite to Bedroom 4. Introduce new Ledge and braced plank door the new bathroom Bedroom 1 and Bedroom 2. Halls Farm Higher Metcombe Ottery St Mary EX11 1SSRef. No: 24/0230/LBC | Validated: Wed 20 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Internal work at ground floor: remove existing cupboard under stairs and reform shelving and stairs soffit; joinery work to back bar/dumb waiter shelving; replacement flooring; new ventilation in WCs; wall cladding and dado in female WC. Internal works at first floor: replace flooring; new partition wall and door to create new bedroom and corridor; new subfloor in kitchen/diner, lounge, bedrooms, and WCs. The Three Tuns 133 High Street Honiton EX14 1HRRef. No: 24/0186/LBC | Validated: Thu 21 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Fencing erected to replace hedging (retrospective) 58 St Andrews Drive Axminster Devon EX13 5EZRef. No: 24/0175/FUL | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Proposal for replacement front entrance door, and removal of cement based render from the front and side elevation of the property to be replaced with a lime render 4 Fore Street Otterton EX9 7HBRef. No: 24/0100/LBC | Validated: Fri 22 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
Replace 2no. windows at ground floor south east elevation The Old Bakehouse Cottage Lower Church Street Colyton EX24 6NDRef. No: 23/2668/LBC | Validated: Tue 19 Mar 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

3 Apr 2024

Posted under

Misc

‘You need to develop a thick skin to be a district councillor’ – Paul Arnott

Paul Arnott

I long ago realised that people who choose to stand for district council need to develop a thick skin.

This is sad, but in the world we inhabit today, it’s kinder to prepare prospective new district councillors for an unjust duffing up at a parish or town council meeting, or an ill-informed and accusatory email riddled with errors. It shouldn’t be like this of course, but as social media and “disruptor” mainstream broadcasters like GB News coarsen public life, anyone wishing to serve their communities must be ready or risk being sucked under.

However, at East Devon a new generation of younger councillors is coming through in my administration, and every now and then I think it is right to tip my hat to them in fulsome praise. It can’t all be about the negatives.

In Whimple, Councillor Todd Olive was elected in May 2023 and got off to a superb start at the age of just 24. Todd is around sixty years younger than some of the councillors, and he and his young cohort bring with them new skills, expectations of civility and depth of knowledge. In his case, it is around planning law and strategy, together with a marked concern for the local environment.

A couple of months ago, East Devon hosted an online debate with representatives from South West Water. It is fair to describe it as being from the “moving forward” school, limited apologies offered but in-depth explanation of why SWW’s sewage infrastructure kept failing and the history to that deftly swerved. I could see Todd’s face on the Zoom scheme, with almost visible steam coming from his ears.

So, what a good councillor does in the face of a public relations machine is do their own research. Todd, using his forensic skills, studied data from the Environment Agency to get a truer picture of how we in East Devon have been affected. Of course, the story before and after the New Year focussed mainly on Exmouth and the raw sewage tankered from failing pumping stations and in effect straight into the sea, or frothing up through the town’s manhole covers.

On behalf of the Exmouth and Exeter East Liberal Democrats, Todd spent hour after hour of his own time with the EA data, leading to the most unwelcome finding that of the top 15 areas in England for sewage spills, four are where we live or travel to locally: South Hams, West Devon, East Devon, Torridge and Teignbridge.

Digging into the specific more local data, Todd identified 15 individual wards in East Devon which had more than 1000 notifiable hours of spillages into a local water course in 2023. This unenviable hit parade goes Tale Vale, Woodbury & Lympstone, Sidmouth Rural, Clyst Valley, Coly Valley, Newbridges, Honiton St Paul’s, Exe Valley, Exmouth Littleham, Trinity, Feniton, Sidmouth Town, West Hill & Aylesbeare, Axminster, Exmouth Town and Budleigh & Raleigh.

Where does this all land for local people? First, which is very obviously going to happen this year, a change of national government. Second, a government intervention to put the interests of local people and the environment ahead of the private shareholders who are the natural friends of the Conservative party, which has favoured defunded and/or light touch regulation of the water industry nationally for many years.

Finally, local people need to keep the pressure on the government, the water companies, and those who might be future local or parliamentary members in the near future. We’re not all bad and more often than many people think, many of us work extremely hard against some very powerful interest groups.

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